New Smyrna Beach: Driving on the 'other' Volusia beach

New Smyrna Beach: Driving on the 'other' Volusia beach

PHOTO BY BOB ROUNTREE

Everybody knows you can drive on the beach at Daytona, but just a little bit south -- in a quaint town that's a little less crazy -- there's another beach that allows cars, New Smyrna Beach. Open the windows and enjoy the seabreeze as you weave above the surfline, slowly. Park anywhere you can find a spot (it gets crowded on weekends) and just dump your beach toys and canopies out of the trunk. Surfing is king here. New Smyrna has the most consistent surf break on Florida's east coast, and it attracts surfers for hundreds of miles around. Drive towards the inlet and you'll find surfers everywhere. Drive back south and stop for an oceanfront lunch at The Breakers (Flagler Ave.), Toni and Joe's (just south of Flagler) or Chase's (near the 27th Avenue ramp). On Flagler Avenue, from The Breakers on the beach west to the historic Riverview Hotel on the Intracoastal, dozens of little shops sell everything from surfboards to pottery. -- Bob Rountree Read Robert Tolf's review of the Riverview Hotel in New Smyrna BeachGo to www.surfline.com for a detailed guide to surfing in New Smyrna

Everybody knows you can drive on the beach at Daytona, but just a little bit south -- in a quaint town that's a little less crazy -- there's another beach that allows cars, New Smyrna Beach. Open the windows and enjoy the seabreeze as you weave above the surfline, slowly. Park anywhere you can find a spot (it gets crowded on weekends) and just dump your beach toys and canopies out of the trunk. Surfing is king here. New Smyrna has the most consistent surf break on Florida's east coast, and it attracts surfers for hundreds of miles around. Drive towards the inlet and you'll find surfers everywhere. Drive back south and stop for an oceanfront lunch at The Breakers (Flagler Ave.), Toni and Joe's (just south of Flagler) or Chase's (near the 27th Avenue ramp). On Flagler Avenue, from The Breakers on the beach west to the historic Riverview Hotel on the Intracoastal, dozens of little shops sell everything from surfboards to pottery. -- Bob Rountree Read Robert Tolf's review of the Riverview Hotel in New Smyrna BeachGo to www.surfline.com for a detailed guide to surfing in New Smyrna (PHOTO BY BOB ROUNTREE)

Everybody knows you can drive on the beach at Daytona, but just a little bit south -- in a quaint town that's a little less crazy -- there's another beach that allows cars, New Smyrna Beach. Open the windows and enjoy the seabreeze as you weave above the surfline, slowly. Park anywhere you can find a spot (it gets crowded on weekends) and just dump your beach toys and canopies out of the trunk. Surfing is king here. New Smyrna has the most consistent surf break on Florida's east coast, and it attracts surfers for hundreds of miles around. Drive towards the inlet and you'll find surfers everywhere. Drive back south and stop for an oceanfront lunch at The Breakers (Flagler Ave.), Toni and Joe's (just south of Flagler) or Chase's (near the 27th Avenue ramp). On Flagler Avenue, from The Breakers on the beach west to the historic Riverview Hotel on the Intracoastal, dozens of little shops sell everything from surfboards to pottery. -- Bob Rountree Read Robert Tolf's review of the Riverview Hotel in New Smyrna BeachGo to www.surfline.com for a detailed guide to surfing in New Smyrna